


Confessions

by LunaTiel



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Asexual Relationship, Canon Autistic Character, Canon Disabled Character, Developing Relationship, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Lab Partners, Love Confessions, Platonic Life Partners, Queerplatonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:20:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26598964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaTiel/pseuds/LunaTiel
Summary: This is a sequel chapter to Severed. If you haven't read that, you'll be missing some context.After their reunion, Entrapta begins to re-examine her feelings toward Hordak, wondering if he feels the same way.
Relationships: Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 59





	Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't think I'd be revisiting this story, but here I am :)
> 
> I headcanon Entrapta and Hordak as asexual. It was also in the tags of Severed, but that aspect of their relationship didn't factor into the plot as heavily as it will going forward. My goal is to portray a wholesome platonic partnership in a way that dispels the stereotype of asexuality as rigid and loveless. 
> 
> This type of story is very far out of my wheelhouse, but I put a lot of love into it, and I hope you enjoy reading!

Entrapta made her way along the curve of the hallway, humming to herself as she carried several metal plates in her new robotic arms. One of the plates shifted, forcing her to concentrate on readjusting her grip. These limbs were not as responsive as her hair had been, but they were undoubtedly useful.

For the past few days, she and Hordak had been spending their time on Darla, helping Bow, Adora, and Glimmer with the ship. Most of the repair work was done, allowing Entrapta to use the majority of her time to work on Hordak’s armor. She was only one step away from having it all finished. Then the two of them would return to their own ship and go their separate way. 

Darla offered so much more to work with than Sophie (the name Entrapta had lovingly given their Horde vessel). Sometimes it was hard to imagine leaving, but Bow had offered to let her take whatever she wanted. That is, anything that wasn’t necessary for Darla to run properly. The prospect of adding First One’s tech to her own ship had Entrapta more than a little excited.

Entrapta was so lost in thought she nearly collided with Adora coming the opposite way. Adora recovered first. “Hi, Entrapta,” she said, lifting her staff over one shoulder. “What are you up to?”

“I’m finishing up work on Hordak’s armor,” Entrapta answered, continuing on her way. “It’s going to look incredible!”

“Oh! That’s… neat.”

Adora was making a very strange expression. Entrapta tilted her head. “Why is your face all funny?”

“No reason!” Adora said, her voice a higher pitch than normal. “It’s just that… you and Hordak… it’s weird to think about.” She covered her face with her hand. “I shouldn’t have said that out loud! I’m so sorry! I’m happy for you, really...”

Entrapta watched her benignly, not sure what all the fuss was about. Maybe a change of subject would help. “Adora, you can read First One’s writings, right?”

“Yeah.”

“What does the crystal on my pack say?” Entrapta pointed behind her to the device that linked her mechanical limbs to her back.

“That’s easy,” Adora smiled. “It says ‘Friend.’”

Entrapta beamed, feeling lucky to carry such a good sigil with her. “Bow found it,” she went on. “He helped me look for a crystal that would fit. I asked him what it said and he didn’t know. I can read a few First One’s words, but not very many. The translation research I have is, regrettably, incomplete.”

She glanced back at Adora only to see Adora’s face had gotten all funny again. “Do you know what Hordak’s crystal says?” Adora asked tentatively.

Entrapta nodded. “Yep.”

“Does Hordak know?”

Stopping abruptly in her tracks, Entrapta looked away. Her hand flew up automatically in an attempt to cover her face with a welding mask that was not there. The truth was, she didn’t know if Hordak could read the crystal. She had never asked. 

When she had first come across the crystal and decoded it, Entrapta set it aside for, as she labeled it, a “special project”, one she had yet to imagine. That plan went out the window the day Hordak opened up to her about his past. Giving the crystal to Hordak felt right, as if she had been holding onto it all that time for him. Entrapta wanted Hordak to know that she cared about him. A part of her hoped he knew how she felt, hoped he felt the same, but she was afraid. 

“Are you going to tell him?” Adora asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” Entrapta mumbled, her eyes on the floor. “What if I mess up?”

Adora put a hand on her shoulder. Entrapta flinched slightly, but didn’t move away. “It’s ok,” said Adora. “I know it’s hard, but you can do it. I’m sure he’d want to know.”

Entrapta didn’t say anything. She enjoyed Hordak’s friendship as it was now. Hopefully they were close enough that, even if he didn’t share her feelings, they could continue to be friends. The numbers were on her side; it was far more likely for the rejected party to cut ties after a failed confession, and she had no intention of doing that. _I can do this,_ she said to herself. _After his new set of armor is complete, I’ll tell him!_

“You’re going to Etheria ahead of us, right?”

Entrapta looked back up at Adora. “That’s the plan,” she replied cheerily. “There’s a few things from Dryl I’d like to get before venturing out into the wide universe, and of course, there’s the matter of dealing with Horde Prime --”

“You know,” Adora cut in, “I think your hair might grow back faster once we’re there.”

Entrapta felt her scalp prickle. “You think?”

“Well, Glimmer is more powerful when she’s closer to the Moonstone,” Adora reasoned. “It’s the same with all the princesses. I know you don’t have a runestone, but...”

“I think you may be right!” Entrapta exclaimed. “Magic is in Etheria’s very atmosphere, after all!” 

Entrapta chattered happily to Adora until she reached the small storage room that had become her makeshift workroom. “I’ll leave you to your work,” Adora said quickly. “I’m going to go check on Glimmer. She and Bow -- well, anyway, I’ll see you later…”

“Okay!” Entrapta waved to her. “Bye, Adora!” 

Hordak was waiting for her inside the workroom. He had been organizing what they were going to take with them, making it easier to carry and store. Straightening to his full height, Hordak’s ears pricked forward slightly. She noticed they did that whenever he looked at her. 

“Are those the final pieces?” he asked.

“Yes,” she nodded. “I couldn’t decide which one would be the better fit. I might have to measure again…”

Entrapta set the plates down on her work table beside the other pieces she had gathered. Everything was laid out ready for assembly. Even the data crystal was where it should be, the low light winking off one of the corners to catch her attention. Entrapta paused, her eyes traveling down the sigil carved on its surface. The conversation she had with Adora wavered in the back of her head for a moment before she pushed it aside to focus on finishing the armor. 

She lifted one of her mechanical arms to grasp a plate, moving to turn it over. As she did, the limb seized up suddenly with a muffled creak. Sighing, Entrapta closed her eyes in concentration, trying to retract the arm slowly so it could work its way loose. The arm stubbornly refused to move. It was thoroughly stuck.

“Drat!” Entrapta tried to reach back with her own arms to no avail. This particular limb on the upper right seemed prone to getting jammed. It was at times like these she really missed her hair.

Hordak came over to help. “Allow me.”

Immediately Entrapta stopped trying to struggle with it. “You may have to strip the panel off,” she said, handing him the right instrument over her shoulder.

“Please remain still,” he cautioned. Entrapta heard the soft click of the catch as Hordak removed part of the panel that protected the inner mechanisms of her pack. These little hiccups didn’t bother her so much, not when she had her lab partner. It was wonderful to have help like this. Entrapta trusted Hordak to be able to discern what was wrong with the limb and fix it without damaging anything.

It only took him a few moments. The limb clicked into place, sending a painful zap of electricity down her spine. Entrapta winced, and a small squeak of pain escaped her.

Hordak paused. “Are you alright?”

“Fine!” she answered brightly. “Just a side effect of having the limbs connected to the nerves.”

He sighed unhappily. “I don’t suppose removing the pack would help,” he said as he closed the panel.

“No, it’s just going to do that as soon as I put it back on anyway.” Entrapta clapped her hands together, stepping away to give herself more space. “Alright, let’s give it a test!” 

Narrowing her focus, she extended the limb again. This time it moved smoothly. “Perfect! Now, let’s get back to work…”

It didn’t take her long to have everything ready. Hordak did not rush her, and he was very obliging whenever she needed him to hold still for her to take measurements. Entrapta reflected on how different this was to when she made his first Exo-Suit. He had been grumpy and resistant then. A lot of things were different between them now. 

Hordak had removed most of the uniform he had worn under Prime in preparation for the armor. He looked to be in better shape than he had been when Entrapta first accidentally intruded on him in the Fright Zone, but she could see the beginning signs of discoloration on his skin, one of the many symptoms of his defect. To Hordak, these were once a source of deep shame. Entrapta hoped he could come to accept them. Armor or no armor, she thought he was wonderful.

Entrapta smiled to herself. She never knew she could feel this way about another person. At first, she had assumed her fascination was purely scientific. Hordak was, after all, an alien species from an advanced civilization. Yet, when they were together, Hordak seemed less alien to her than all the people of her own planet. Entrapta had spent so long keeping to herself and her bots, speaking and never being truly understood. Being able to talk _with_ someone, building ideas together, sharing everything that set her mind on fire, that feeling was transcendent. Nothing in the world compared to it. 

There were still times when Entrapta had no idea how to express what she was feeling, but she knew she belonged with Hordak. There was no one else she would rather be with. 

“Ready?” she asked.

Hordak nodded. “Yes.”

  
  


~~~

“There!” Entrapta chirped. “Looks like a perfect fit! Move around and let me know how it feels.”

Hordak looked down at the armor set Entrapta made for him. It hardly resembled the scrap material she used for its design. Flexing his arms, he found the movement easy and natural. “It is light,” he said. “Not at all restrictive. As you have said, a perfect fit. Your skill is truly impressive.”

Entrapta smiled, a hint of color rising in her face. “Only one piece missing,” she said, holding up the crystal that had once powered his old armor. “Now we’ll see if it really works.”

She stretched up to reach the empty slot at the base of his neck and gently slid the crystal into place. Immediately Hordak felt a jolt of energy pass through the armor and into his body, running all the way to the tips of his toes. With it came a surge of memory that stole his breath away. He remembered this feeling, this rush of power, and he remembered something else, something that sent an equally strong feeling through him. In his mind’s eye, Hordak saw Entrapta’s face, smiling at him in a way no one else had before or since, and he knew with sudden clarity that this was the moment his steadfast loyalty to Horde Prime began to crack. This was the moment of connection.

“How do you feel?” 

Realizing he was standing in a daze, Hordak blinked and returned his gaze to Entrapta. She was looking up at him expectantly, the tips of her gloved fingers lingering on the crystal. Hordak placed his hand over hers and smiled warmly. “Alive!”

Entrapta smiled back, but quickly ducked her head, drawing her hand away. Confused, Hordak frowned. Her face was still slightly red and she was fidgeting restlessly with her hands. “Is something wrong?”

She shook her head, reddening further. 

“I don’t understand.”

Entrapta’s eyes darted up to his for a brief moment before she looked away again. “Do you know what the crystal says?” she asked quietly.

“No,” he replied. “I cannot read it. What does it say?”

Again she tried to look at him, and again she could not quite meet his eyes. “It says ‘loved,’” Entrapta murmured. “L-U-V-D. First One’s language is phonetic, so… that’s what it says.”

Shocked, Hordak automatically reached up to touch the crystal at his throat. He could not have imagined the device that gave him such power would say something so sentimental. _Does this mean she…?_ Hordak could not finish the thought. He had to be sure. “And you would give this to _me_?”

Nodding, Entrapta wrung her hands, still looking down. “I wanted you to know, but I didn’t know how to say it. I --”

“Entrapta?” Bow peeked his head into the room, interrupting what else she might have said. “Could you come out here? We need you to have a look at something.”

With a startled jump, Entrapta turned around to face the door. “I’ll be right there,” she replied.

“Thanks,” Bow said with a sigh of relief. “I think we may have a short somewhere, but I can’t seem to find it. I hope Adora hasn’t touched anything else while I’m gone.”

Sighing again, Bow left. His footsteps faded quickly down the hall. 

Hordak watched Entrapta grab her tools and head toward the door. After what had just happened between them, he did not want her to leave. Not yet. “Entrapta, wait,” he called to her.

She stopped, but did not turn around.

Bracing himself, Hordak decided to take the leap. “I love you.”

For a moment Entrapta was still. Then, dropping her tools, she whirled around and rushed toward him. Hordak hardly had time to react before Entrapta jumped up to wrap her arms around his neck.

It was quite a leap for how short she was. Hordak caught her, staggering a few steps to keep his balance. Entrapta clung to him with all four limbs, and he held her back just as tightly. “I love you,” he repeated. Now he knew what it was, this feeling of warmth, this joy in his heart. It felt good to say out loud.

“I love you too,” she said fervently. Her arms loosened around his neck as she leaned back to smile at him. Hordak did not let go entirely, still supporting her back as she hung there, beaming. “I’ve spent weeks thinking of the best way to say it, and after all that work, you beat me to it!”

“I hope you are not disappointed,” he replied.

“Not at all!” Entrapta grinned. “This is better.” 

Her hair was floating about her face as if it weighed nothing at all, and a light danced in her eyes. Gently she cupped the sides of his face in her hands. “I’ve thought a lot about it, and I want to be your partner. Not just in the lab, but all the time. What do you think?”

“I, yes, of course,” Hordak flustered. There was nothing more he could want. This incredible, intelligent, beautiful woman had given him his life. He would devote himself to her as long as he lived. “I would be honored to be your partner.”

Entrapta gave a delighted squeak. Hordak flinched at the volume of the sound, his sensitive ears twitching back. In the space of that blink, Entrapta was suddenly very close to him. Her lips brushed against his. The contact lasted for only the briefest moment, but it was enough to make his heart stutter. 

“What was that?” he managed to ask.

Entrapta’s face was pink once again, but this time she did not look away. “It’s a kiss,” she said. “It’s something Etherians do to show affection.”

“I see…” Hordak did not quite know how to feel about this. It seemed an odd thing to do. The feeling was certainly strange, but perhaps he would grow to like it. 

“Would you...?” He paused, feeling his ears flatten in embarrassment. “May I try it?”

Entrapta nodded, smiling shyly. She closed her eyes and tilted her head upward to make it easier for him. Fighting through his own nervousness, Hordak leaned down and very gently pressed his lips to hers. As he pulled away, Entrapta giggled, and he felt a stab of anxiety. “Did I do it wrong?” he demanded.

“No,” she replied, still smiling. “It’s just, I’ve never kissed anyone before!”

“Oh.” It relieved Hordak to know he was not hopelessly out of his depth. This was something they were learning together.

Entrapta laid her head against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him. They held each other like that for a long moment. “Kissing is nice, but I think I like hugs better,” she said at last. “It’s like being wrapped in a warm blanket.”

Hordak closed his eyes contentedly. “Agreed.”

“Hey, Entrapta, are you coming?”

This time it was Adora calling. “Sorry! Yes, I’m coming!” Entrapta responded. Hordak let her down, and Entrapta went to gather her tools from the ground. He bent down to help her, and the two shared another soft smile. 

“I’ll be back soon,” she said brightly. “Let me know if you run into any trouble with the armor.”

“Of course,” he replied. In all this time, Hordak had quite forgotten about his armor. There didn’t seem to be any problems so far, but he should give it a proper test. His fingers brushed the crystal again, and the knowledge of what the sigil truly meant hit him with sudden severity. “Thank you.”

Entrapta patted his arm. “You’re welcome!”

Hordak watched her leave, knowing without a doubt Entrapta could easily fix whatever problems the ship might have. He hoped she would be quick. In the meantime, he would stay here and wait, out of sight from those who were decidedly uncomfortable with his presence. Adora, Bow, Glimmer -- their faces teetered on the edge of familiarity, never quite enough to spark a clear memory. 

Whatever had happened between them in the past was lost in darkness. Perhaps it always would be. Hordak could live with that. He remembered Entrapta. He loved her. No matter what the universe had in store for him, Hordak would spend the rest of his days by Entrapta’s side. 


End file.
